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How to Find a Job

As you approach graduation and start thinking about your job search, here are some tips:

Use your school’s career and job placement center. They will have job postings, host résumé and interview skill workshops, and have recruiters visiting campus.

Send your résumé to Dr. Snow at GeoFORCE and she will give you feedback.

Clean up your social media presence – untag photos that you would not want an employer to see, clean up the language on your Facebook, twitter, instagram, etc. accounts.

Create a LinkedIn profile. Many employers use this for professional connections.

Use your GeoFORCE Connections

If you are applying for jobs in the energy sector, government agencies, or any of our sponsors, be sure to mention you GeoFORCE affiliation. They are watching for that.

The same advice goes to any connections you have. Step one of any job search is to get in the door, and if that door opens because you have a connection, use it. You will, of course, need to impress them once you are there, so don’t hesitate to use your connections to get noticed.

Some Specific Tips for Job Searches

Your résumé should be professional and clean – don’t use fancy type or pictures. Make sure it is proof-read, that columns line up properly, that your contact information is up top. If you are sending it electronically, make it a pdf and title it with your name. For a new job seeker, it should be one to two pages. Focus on your skills, with leadership and job experience listed. Don’t include a statement at the top about what you are looking for; save that for the cover letter.

The cover letter should be specific to the job. Be very careful that you don’t send a letter saying “I have always wanted to work in a balloon factory” to the hiring manager at the basket-weaving plant. One page is plenty, focus on the job and what skills you bring that specific employer. Of course the grammar and spelling should be impeccable.

The interview is really important. Arrive early. Dress professionally. Do your homework; you should know a lot about the company before you walk in the door and be ready to ask good questions. Turn off your phone.

First Impressions count: shake hands, make eye contact, smile.

Have a small notebook and a pen handy so you can jot notes. This is a good place to write some questions before hand.

Don’t sit if your interviewer is standing, until they invite you to.

During the interview: Listen and respond. They might ask complex questions; it is OK to think a bit.

Focus on the company and the job. Be ready to discuss how you would fit in.

Use people’s names. One trick for remembering names is to use them immediately. Instead of “Hello it is nice to meet you” say “Hello Ms. Smith, it is nice to meet you.” And if you are really bad are remembering, write it down when you can, or ask for a business card.

When you leave, offer a hand shake again, and thank the interviewers by name for the opportunity.

After the Interview send a thank you note. Did you think that GeoFORCE had you write thank you notes just as torture? This is an important skill, use it. The note should be addressed to the interviewer. Of course you will thank them for the opportunity, but also personalize it. Reflect on something you learned in the interview, or something you want to add. Express enthusiasm for the job or the company.

Links for Jobs

Here are some links to job searches

Our Sponsors: GeoFORCE sponsors hire a lot of people, not all of them scientists. If you have a degree in business, finance, policy, or any of a number of liberal arts degrees, check them out. They are too numerous to list here, but just google “jobs companyname” to get to their job opportunity websites. Be sure not to get pulled into a third party ad – the company name should be in the URL. If you apply for any of these, please let us know so we can alert them.

Department of Interior Opportunities: This includes the UG Geological Survey, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement, and the Parks Service. GeoFORCE has a lot of strong supporters in the Interior Department. If you apply for any of these, please let us know so we can alert them. You should go the USAJobs site and create a profile, then make it a habit to check for openings often. These jobs are sometimes only posted for a few days, so be prepared: the application site USAJobs for Students and Recent Grads

Oak Ridge National Labs Jobs: These are available at all levels and for all science majors. Listings can be found at: ORISE Link

American Geosciences Institute: Geoscience Policy Internships: If you are a geology major, interested in policy or politics, then AGI would love to have you aboard. These internships are available for summer, fall, or spring semester: AGI Link

Texas Internships: This site if maintained by the Texas Workforce Commission, a GeoFORCE partner. Like USAJobs, you should register, create a profile, and check often for openings. Check it out: Texas Jobs

Nationwide Job Search: This is a job search site that lists jobs in all over the US, by city, company, and job type. Use search terms related to the type of company or your degree. Check it out: US Jobs